Sony’s S-Log 3 and Panasonic’s V-Log Footage Side By Side

If you still haven’t got a chance to test out thoroughly the Sony A7S II’s S-Log3 gamma curve profile and see for yourself how it stacks up against the Panasonic GH4’s paid V-Log, the L.A. based independent filmmaker Noam Kroll already did that as he shares his insights on the topic in an in-depth article on his personal blog NoamKroll.com. Of course, this isn’t some sort of scientific test by any means, as Noam claims, yet it still provides some useful information.

Recently, Noam and one of his friends and collaborators filmed some quick and dirty test shots with the GH4 and A7S II side by side, both shooting in Log mode to find out what these cameras are really capable of. The two shooters tried to use the same settings whenever possible on both cameras using their native ISO’s to ensure maximum DR and image quality across the board. ND filters were also utilized to compensate for differences in exposure between the GH4 and A7S II in certain instances.

Below are some of the comparison shots:

Sony A7S II S-Log3 – Ungraded

Panasonic GH4 V-Log – Ungraded

Sony A7S II S-Log3 – Ungraded

Panasonic GH4 V-Log – Ungraded

To see those, along with more images in full resolution from the test, head over to Noam’s blog.

Unsurprisingly, in terms of dynamic range and latitude the Sony A7S II turned out to be the obvious winner as the camera managed to capture 2 more stops of DR than the GH4, which tops out at about 12 stops when using the V-Log profile. Plus, the A7S II footage clearly had more information in the highlights, while the GH4 had clipped completely. Noam also found out that neither camera produces great colors in Log mode. So, don’t expect to simply throw a LUT on the Log footage and instantly get perfect results.

Further, as the filmmaker reports, the GH4 Log footage tends to be a bit too saturated and punchy with skin tones often looking flat and green-ish. The A7S II, on the other hand, seems to be a bit too desaturated, and leaves skin tones looking cooler and even purple-ish at times, which essentially is the exact opposite of what the GH4 delivers. Banding artifacts are another issue you should be aware of. The workaround for this would be to use the 10-bit video feed out of the GH4. Unfortunately, you don’t have this feature on the A7S II as an option.

Noam did another test between the GH4’s V-Log and the Cine-D mode, where he found that even though the colors are still far from perfect, they do seem to be better, so upgrading to the V-Log would be still a feasible option for GH4 owners who are still wondering whether to upgrade or not. Ultimately, if you already had any experience with these two cameras, feel free to share your insights with the community in the comments below.